TDA: Garden Jubilee will stay put on calendar

People take part in the 21st Annual Garden Jubilee Festival on Main Street Hendersonville last month. After a decision to move the event next year, the Henderson County Tourism Development voted to keep the local event on Memorial Day weekend to appease plant vendors.

Published: Wednesday, June 25, 2014 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at 6:42 p.m.

Under pressure from vendors, the Henderson County Tourism Development Authority backtracked Tuesday on an earlier decision to move Garden Jubilee one week earlier in 2015.

The TDA board voted unanimously to keep Garden Jubilee on Memorial Day weekend to appease plant vendors who complained that the proposed date change would reduce traffic and conflict with other plant shows.

Board members had agreed in April to move the Jubilee back one weekend after hoteliers pointed out the Main Street event didn't generate many overnight stays. Chairman Shannon Clarke said the object was to “fill the void in occupancy other weekends.”

“This may help your hotel/bed & breakfast tax, but will certainly confuse faithful attendees and dramatically reduce traffic and thus vendor sales,” Robert Parsley of Hang Your Gardens wrote on a survey.

“A change in date will lead to the downfall of the show,” predicted vendor Tim Nichols, who said the combination of Jubilee traffic and Memorial Day visitation is what makes the plant show so successful.

Vendors weren't the only ones opposed to the proposed date change, said TDA Director Beth Carden.

“I was really a little bit amazed and shocked from how many phone calls I got from local residents,” she said, “saying they had friends from around the country who save Memorial Day weekend to come here and stay with them and go to this event.”

Carden said the extra travel day afforded visitors is one reason the Jubilee has grown from 25,000 attendees in 2009 to 110,000 visitors in 2014. While the Jubilee may not put substantial “heads in beds,” Carden said the economy would suffer without the event pumping customers and cash into area businesses.

“I think it would be easier to start another event the week before than it would be to move this one,” she said. “Because I've been in recreation and I've done national events. When you move them, you kill them.”

Board member and hotel manager Kathy Kanupp agreed, although she wanted to hear more input from local merchants about the value of keeping the event on Memorial Day weekend.

“I don't want to see something go away if it's a little bit of help,” she said.

However, board members also acknowledged that organizing the Jubilee is time-consuming for the TDA's small staff. The TDA board voted 7-0 to have Clarke appoint a committee “to work with staff on looking at bringing in partners to help with Garden Jubilee.”

Clarke pointed out that a tourism consultant, Young Strategies, recently urged TDA to “spend less time throwing the party and more time sending invitations” — to grow its branding and outreach efforts to attract more overnight visitors, especially in shoulder seasons such as early spring.

Board member Selena Einwechter said she'd like to see TDA's staff “directed to work fervently to find one or two partners” to help take over the Jubilee's organization. She noted that the event is self-sustaining, bringing in about $20,000 each year over and above expenses.

“If we can show these other organizations that this is a profit-making situation for them, maybe in the course of the next three or four years, we can transition out of it and be a support element for them,” Einwechter said.

While agreeing TDA staff needed to hand off some Jubilee duties to other groups, Vice Chair David Nicholson said getting others to take on those responsibilities may not be easy. He pointed out the city of Asheville tried unsuccessfully to turn over the now-defunct Bele Chere festival to outsiders.

“They went to every community group there was in Buncombe County and said, 'Don't you want to take this over?'” he said. “It's tough, and nobody would do it.”

<p>Under pressure from vendors, the Henderson County Tourism Development Authority backtracked Tuesday on an earlier decision to move Garden Jubilee one week earlier in 2015.</p><p>The TDA board voted unanimously to keep Garden Jubilee on Memorial Day weekend to appease plant vendors who complained that the proposed date change would reduce traffic and conflict with other plant shows.</p><p>Board members had agreed in April to move the Jubilee back one weekend after hoteliers pointed out the Main Street event didn't generate many overnight stays. Chairman Shannon Clarke said the object was to “fill the void in occupancy other weekends.” </p><p>But about 95 percent of the 200 Jubilee vendors vehemently opposed the date change, TDA staff estimated.</p><p>“This may help your hotel/bed & breakfast tax, but will certainly confuse faithful attendees and dramatically reduce traffic and thus vendor sales,” Robert Parsley of Hang Your Gardens wrote on a survey.</p><p>“A change in date will lead to the downfall of the show,” predicted vendor Tim Nichols, who said the combination of Jubilee traffic and Memorial Day visitation is what makes the plant show so successful.</p><p>Vendors weren't the only ones opposed to the proposed date change, said TDA Director Beth Carden.</p><p>“I was really a little bit amazed and shocked from how many phone calls I got from local residents,” she said, “saying they had friends from around the country who save Memorial Day weekend to come here and stay with them and go to this event.”</p><p>Carden said the extra travel day afforded visitors is one reason the Jubilee has grown from 25,000 attendees in 2009 to 110,000 visitors in 2014. While the Jubilee may not put substantial “heads in beds,” Carden said the economy would suffer without the event pumping customers and cash into area businesses.</p><p>“I think it would be easier to start another event the week before than it would be to move this one,” she said. “Because I've been in recreation and I've done national events. When you move them, you kill them.”</p><p>Board member and hotel manager Kathy Kanupp agreed, although she wanted to hear more input from local merchants about the value of keeping the event on Memorial Day weekend.</p><p>“I don't want to see something go away if it's a little bit of help,” she said. </p><p>However, board members also acknowledged that organizing the Jubilee is time-consuming for the TDA's small staff. The TDA board voted 7-0 to have Clarke appoint a committee “to work with staff on looking at bringing in partners to help with Garden Jubilee.”</p><p>Clarke pointed out that a tourism consultant, Young Strategies, recently urged TDA to “spend less time throwing the party and more time sending invitations” — to grow its branding and outreach efforts to attract more overnight visitors, especially in shoulder seasons such as early spring.</p><p>Board member Selena Einwechter said she'd like to see TDA's staff “directed to work fervently to find one or two partners” to help take over the Jubilee's organization. She noted that the event is self-sustaining, bringing in about $20,000 each year over and above expenses.</p><p>“If we can show these other organizations that this is a profit-making situation for them, maybe in the course of the next three or four years, we can transition out of it and be a support element for them,” Einwechter said.</p><p>While agreeing TDA staff needed to hand off some Jubilee duties to other groups, Vice Chair David Nicholson said getting others to take on those responsibilities may not be easy. He pointed out the city of Asheville tried unsuccessfully to turn over the now-defunct Bele Chere festival to outsiders. </p><p>“They went to every community group there was in Buncombe County and said, 'Don't you want to take this over?'” he said. “It's tough, and nobody would do it.”</p><p>___</p><p>Reach Axtell at than.axtell@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7860.</p>